Answering interview questions…

Navigate common and challenging questions with confidence using these expert interview response techniques.

How to answer questions:

Before answering any question, listen to the question. Make sure you know what they are asking before answering.

The purpose of a question in an interview has different roles for the Client and for the Candidate:

• For the Client – he or she just wants to see that you are giving him/her the right answers. This is why it is SO VERY IMPORTANT to use the question as a tool to sell yourself to the Client.
• Your job in the interview is to provide as much information to the client as possible so that they know you have the experience. Never let an opportunity go by, where you can sell yourself/experience/personality to the client.

For example: if the client asks a question such as…

So Peter, have you ever worked on Pastel Accounting before?

• Don’t – say just yes or no.
• Do – say something like: Yes Mr. Jones, I have worked on Pastel for the last 3 years. I am proficient on Payroll, accounting, recons etc…….. Last year our company had a huge back log of reconciliations that were not adding up correctly. I was asked to assist the Financial Manager in this project and managed to sort out a back log of 3 months in one week.

So Peter, tell me about your experience on Pastel Accounting.

• Don’t – It’s pretty good.
• Do – My experience with Pastel is quite extensive, I have worked on it for the last 5 years, I am proficient in all aspects such as…., my manager sometimes calls on me to solve queries that he can’t fix.

Once you have given the facts/experience – always back up your answer with a nice achievement.

Eye contact is very important. It lets the other person know that you are sincere and are telling the truth. It also shows that you respect the person and want them to respect you.

Behavioural/Situational Questions:

These questions present themselves as follows:

• So Peter, tell me about a time when you had to discipline someone.

Or

• Tell me about a time when you were not able to meet a deadline etc…

The Star Method

The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioural/situational-based interview question. You describe and discuss the specific Situation, Task, Action, and Result of an identified situation.  

Situation: Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Make sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, a personal situation, or any relevant event.

Task: What goal were you trying to achieve?

Action: Describe the actions you took to address the situation. Make sure to add an appropriate amount of detail and keep the focus on YOU. Use the word “I,” not “we” when describing actions. What specific steps did you take and what was your particular contributions? Be careful that you don’t describe what the team or group did when talking about a project, but what you actually did.

Result: Describe the outcome of your actions. Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour and achievements. What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? Make sure your answer contains multiple positive results.

Make sure that you follow all parts of the STAR method. Be as specific as possible at all times but be careful not to rambling or include too much information. Often candidates have to be prompted to include their results, so try to include that without being asked. Also, exclude any examples that do not paint you in a positive light. However, remember that some examples that have a negative result (such as “lost the competition”) can highlight your strengths in hard times.

SAMPLE STAR RESPONSE:

Situation (S): Advertising revenue was declining for my college newspaper, The Chat, and large numbers of long-term advertisers were not renewing contracts.

Task (T): My goal was to generate new ideas, materials and incentives that would cause an increase of least 15% in advertisers from the year before.

Action (A): I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and compared the benefits of The Chat circulation with other ad media in the area. I also set-up a special training session for the Account Executives with a Business professor I know, who discussed dynamic and competitive selling strategies.

Result (R): We signed contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and 5 for special supplements. We increased our new advertisers by 20% over the same period last year.

Answering questions like this will improve your odds dramatically as it shows the interviewer that you are able to reason your way through a question. If you have NEVER been in that particular situation – you can give your interviewer a similar situation, or simply state that you have not been in this situation but you would handle that situation as follows. Then simply state how you would handle that situation.

How to prepare for a behavioural interview

• Think about recent situations that show positive behaviours or actions, especially involving work experience, leadership, initiative, planning and teamwork.
• Prepare short descriptions of each situation; be ready to give details if asked.
• Ensure each story is told in full (has a beginning, middle, and an end) i.e., be ready to describe the situation, the task at hand, your action, and the outcome/ result.
• Make sure that the outcome or result reflects positively on you (even if the result itself was not positive).
• Always be honest. Don’t embellish or omit any part of the story. Stories built on weak foundations will always be uncovered.
• Be specific. Don’t generalize about a number of events; give a detailed accounting of one event.
• Try and thin of varied examples; don’t take them all from just one area of your life.

Common interview questions:

A lot of candidates lose out here because they do not know how to answer these questions to their benefit. Take some time to reflect on these questions and come up with solid answers before your interview takes place.

Don’t hesitate to make contact with your Recruitment Consultant for support if you are not feeling confident in answering certain questions.

Tell me a little about yourself

NEVER say things like:

• Well, I just got divorced and my partner took my dog from me.
• My mom is currently sick and I’m spending a lot of time looking after her.

ALWAYS say things like:

• Keep your answers purely professional and work/educationally related.
• I have been working in HR for 5 years in a Generalist role.
• I completed my Degree in Finance in 2005 and am planning to study a MAP qualification now.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Always keep it work related

• My strength is my ability to stay focused on the deadline and my attention to detail.
• My weakness is that I can sometimes be over analytical… I struggle to work with individuals that don’t take responsibility… I trend to be a bit of a perfectionist.

Realistically, what would you like to earn?

• Try not to give a set amount as it is difficult to negotiate or take it back once you have offered an amount.
• It is important that you don’t over or undersell yourself here. If you give an amount that is lower than what the company wants to offer, you can lose out. Alternatively, you can ‘blow’ your chances by giving an amount higher than what they intended to pay.
• The best bet is to say something like: this move is not motivated by money alone. I am wanting an opportunity in a company like this where I can add value. As long as the offer is “market related” I am happy.
• If they keep pushing you for an answer – simply take them through your current salary and always use your NET (take home) salary as a benchmark.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

NEVER say things like:

• I want to open up my own business.
• I want to be in your position.
• I want to be a Senior Manager (especially if you are applying for an entry level post) – interviewers sometimes feel that candidates are too ambitious and thus are not successful in getting the post.
• Never say that you want to go into Marketing if you are applying for a Bookkeeping position. Always stick to the title that you are interviewing for.

ALWAYS say things like:

• I see myself developing my IT skills and gaining expertise in the finance arena.

Why do you want to leave your current employment?

NEVER say things like:

• My boss was a freak and very hard to work with.
• I need to earn more money.
• I did not get on with the other staff members.
• I didn’t get the promotion that I applied for.

ALWAYS say things like:

• I am looking for more of a challenge – explain exactly what type of challenge you are looking for.
• I have been with the company for such a long time that I need a change of environment.
• I am interested in looking for more challenges outside of the ‘manufacturing’ environment.
• I would like to work closer to home (if this is the case).
• Any other valid reason (restructure, retrenchment, company is moving etc.).

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, at mei dolore tritani repudiandae. In his nemore temporibus consequuntur, vim ad prima vivendum consetetur. Viderer feugiat at pro, mea aperiam